The water in Egypt is, contrary to warnings, safe to drink. Generally. Over the last few years the Egyptian government, using lots and lots of money from USAID, has pumped the cities’ water supplies full of chemicals, getting rid of most of the really horrible stuff.
So the water is safe. But the chemicals give the water a taste that could politely be described as, umm, disgusting. So most Egyptians tend to drink bottled water. You can buy water practically everywhere – every street has at least one shop selling it. A 1.5-litre bottle tends to cost between LE 1.50 and LE 2 – or about 15 to 20 pence.
There is quite a range of brands, including offerings from the usual suspects: Coke has its Dasani brand (the one withdrawn from sale in the UK), Pepsi has AquaFina, and Nestle has PureLife. Local brands include Baraka, Siwa, and Aqua, of which Baraka is the best known – its quality is “controlled by Vittel” and it recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. All the water is, basically, exactly the same. Some are “sourced from a deep well”, some are treated tap water.
The thing that surprises me is that none of the companies sell a more expensive version of the same water. Coke should sell their Dasanti at 5 LE a bottle, say, to appeal to tourists, expats and the rich Egyptians who buy the most expensive product whenever they can. Sure, they wouldn’t sell as much, but at practically 100% profit, who cares?